Point of purchase fragrance sampling

ABSTRACT

A fragrance sampling system for use in a store comprises a piezoelectrically vibrated orifice plate atomizer mounted to extend from a support structure in the store, such as a shelf and operated to emit puffs of very small droplets of the liquid fragrance and eject them upwardly into the atmosphere such that they become fully evaporated before contacting any supporting surface. The atomizer is controlled by electrical circuits which limit the times during which atomization occurs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of The Invention

[0002] This invention relates to fragrance sampling and moreparticularly it concerns novel methods and apparatus for ejectingatomized particles of a liquid fragrance in a manner to provideprospective customers at a point of purchase location, such as in astore, an accurate indication of a particular fragrance which they maywish to purchase.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 6,450,419, No. 6,446,880, No. 6,439,474 and No.6,296,196 disclose liquid fragrance dispensers which eject successivepuffs of an atomized fragrance liquid into the atmosphere to conditionthe atmosphere in a room or other location. These devices use apiezoelectric actuator which is energized during successive intervals tovibrate an orifice plate. The orifice plate rests on the upper end of awick which delivers liquid fragrance by capillary action from areservoir to the underside of the vibrating orifice plate. When theplate vibrates, it converts the liquid into minute droplets and ejectsthese droplets into the atmosphere. The droplets evaporate as they fallback through the atmosphere and in this manner they condition theatmosphere. These vibrating orifice plate devices produce successivepuffs of atomized liquid, each puff being approximately 11 millisecondsin length and the duration between successive puffs being adjustableover a range of nine to thirty six seconds. This has been found toprovide good conditioning of the atmosphere in a room or other space inwhich the device is situated. Thus, vibratory plate atomizers canprovide a pleasant fragrant ambiance in a room.

[0005] The above described dispensing devices have replaceable liquidfragrance reservoirs and accordingly many different fragrances can bedispensed by a particular device. Because of this it is necessary toprovide at a point of purchase location, such as in a store, anarrangement which permits a customer to sample the fragrances in orderto make a selection for purchase.

[0006] Several problems are involved in providing fragrance samples inthe above. First, the sample must be emitted into the atmosphere in sucha fashion that the prospective customer will receive an accurateportrayal of the fragrances as it will be experienced in the home.Secondly, the sample must be emitted in a manner such that only anappropriate amount of the liquid fragrance is used. Thirdly, the samplemust be emitted in a manner that will not affect patrons or operationsin nearby locations. In addition, the amount of liquid fragrance that isemitted must not be such that it would become deposited in liquid formon nearby surfaces which could result in corrosion of the surfaces or incausing the surfaces to become slippery and dangerous. Finally, thedispensed sample must be capable of rapid dispersal so that it will notinterfere with subsequent or nearby sampling, or adjacent storeoperations.

[0007] Fragrance sampling devices are described in U.S. Pat. No.3,844,057, No. 4,869,407, No. 5,829,642 and No. 6,405,906. According toU.S. Pat. No. 3,844,057, liquid fragrance is contained in pouches thatare mounted on a flexible strip that is driven past a cutter knife. Asthe pouches pass by, the knife cuts them open so that the liquidfragrance drips out of the pouches onto an absorbent pad. A fan blowsair through the pad to evaporate and disperse the liquid. According toU.S. Pat No. 4,869,407, a liquid fragrance contained in a porous waferis sampled by squeezing a bellows which contains the wafer to force airthrough the wafer and into the atmosphere. According to U.S. Pat. No.5,829,642, an aerosol device containing perfume or toilet water ismounted on the back side of a panel. A manual control means on the frontof the panel can be pressed to actuate the aerosol device so that thecontents thereof are ejected through a nozzle just above the controlmeans. According to U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,906, a product receptacle ismounted inside an enclosure and is connected to be actuated by slidingan absorbent card into a slot in the enclosure. This causes liquid fromthe receptacle to be sprayed onto the absorbent card inside theenclosure. The card is then removed and the fragrance of the liquid canbe sampled from the card.

[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,434, No. 4,702,418, No. 5,011,632, No.5,724,957, No. 5,950,619 and No. 5,970,974, and U.S. Publication No. US2002/0043568 A1 U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,175, all describe liquid dispensingdevices which have circuits or other means for controlling the timing ofthe dispensing operation.

[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 6,319,087 and U.S. Publication No. US 2002/0106624A1 describe the use of timing circuits in connection with point ofpurchase displays which do not involve the dispensing of a liquidfragrance.

[0010] None of the above patents provides the possibility of fragrancesampling which meets the criteria set forth above, namely sampling whichaccurately represents the effect of a vibratory plate atomizer, whichexperiences minimal liquid fragrance loss, and which avoids interferencewith subsequent or nearby sampling, or adjacent store operations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The present invention provides point of purchase liquid fragrancesampling that gives prospective customers an accurate representation ofthe particular fragrance being sampled, while at the same timeminimizing loss of the sampled fragrance and avoiding interference withnearby or subsequent sampling. The invention is based in part on thediscovery that by positioning a vibrating plate atomizer at a locationsuch that when a liquid fragrance sample is atomized, the atomizeddroplets will become fully evaporated without becoming deposited onnearby solid surfaces, accurate, efficient and unintrusive sampling canbe achieved. The invention is based in further part on the discoverythat the natural air currents at most point of purchase locations, suchas in a store where sampling is usually carried out, will rapidlydissipate the fragrance and will avoid interference with subsequent ornearby fragrance sampling.

[0012] According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided anovel method of sampling a liquid fragrance which comprises the steps ofatomizing a liquid fragrance from an atomizing device and ejectingatomized droplets of the atomized liquid fragrance from the deviceupwardly into the atmosphere; and, during the atomization, retaining theatomizing device on a platform while supporting the platform to extendoutwardly from a support structure. In a preferred embodimentatomization of the liquid fragrance is carried out by vibrating anatomization plate while supplying the plate with the liquid fragrance sothat the plate atomizes the liquid fragrance and ejects it into theatmosphere in the form of small liquid droplets which become fullyevaporated without contacting the support structure.

[0013] According to another aspect of the invention, there is providedan air freshener sampling device which comprises a liquid fragranceatomizer, a platform on which the atomizer is securely retained and amounting element secured to and extending between the platform and asupport structure to mount the platform to extend outwardly from thesupport structure. In a preferred embodiment, a mounting element issecured to and extends from the platform. The platform is configured tobe attached to a support structure in a manner such that said platformextends outwardly from said support structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an atomizer and anenclosure, in opened condition, which forms a platform for securelyretaining the atomizer and which can be mounted to extend out from astructure, in accordance with the present invention;

[0015]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the enclosure of FIG. 1, in closedcondition and extending out from an edge of a supporting shelf;

[0016]FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing the enclosure ofFIG. 2 mounted on and extending out from the shelf of FIG. 2;

[0017]FIG. 4 is a side elevational view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

[0018]FIG. 5 is a section view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

[0019]FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing an embodimenthaving an alternate mounting arrangement for the enclosure;

[0020]FIG. 7 is a reverse perspective view of the enclosure andalternate mounting arrangement of FIG. 6;

[0021]FIG. 8 is a view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 6;

[0022]FIG. 9 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 3 and showing afurther embodiment of the present invention;

[0023]FIG. 10 is a view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 9; and

[0024]FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram for a circuit used in the embodimentof FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] In the following, like reference numbers are used to identifysimilar elements in different embodiments.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1a one piece enclosure shell 20 is provided toenclose an atomizer 22. The enclosure shell 20, which is shown in openedcondition prior to enclosing the atomizer 22, comprises an upperplatform portion 24 and a lower platform portion 26 which are joined ata hinge 28. The enclosure shell 20 may be made by thermoforming of anyplastic material which is suitable for semi-rigid or rigid packaging,for example, polyvinyl chloride, high density polyethlyene, etc. Thematerial of the enclosure shell 20 may be transparent so that a costumerwho wishes to sample a fragrance will readily see the atomizer 22 fromwhich the fragrance is being dispensed.

[0027] The upper platform portion 24 has a central opening 30 and isformed on its upper side with an atomizer enclosure formation 32 whichsurrounds the opening 30 and which closely accommodates the atomizer 22.Thus the atomizer enclosure formation 32 includes an adjustment switchprotrusion 34 which accommodates an adjustment switch 36 that projectsfrom an upper housing 38 of the atomizer 22.

[0028] The atomizer 22 has a flat base 40 which closes the bottom of theupper housing 38. Rounded feet 42 project downwardly from the base 40 sothat when the atomizer is not enclosed within the enclosure shell 20, itmay be supported on a surface, such as a table top. The base 40 isprovided with a hinge 44 near one end to allow the base to be pulleddownwardly to provide access to the interior of the atomizer 22. A latch46 is formed at the other end of the base 40 to interlock with a latchholder (not shown) in the upper housing 38 of the atomizer 22 and holdthe base 40 in closed position as shown.

[0029] The lower platform portion 26 of the enclosure shell 20 is formedwith a shallow well 48 which accommodates a platform mounting template50. The mounting template, which may be made of thin cardboard, isprovided with openings 52 which accommodate the feet 42 on the base ofthe atomizer 22. In this manner the atomizer is held in a properposition with respect to the atomizer enclosure portion 32 of theenclosure shell 20. The lower platform portion 26 is also formed on itsbottom side with a generally V-shaped mounting formation 54 which, aswill be described more fully hereinafter, is used to support theenclosure shell 20 to extend out from a support member.

[0030] As can be appreciated from FIG. 1, the atomizer 22 can beinserted through the central opening 30 in the upper platform portion 24and into the atomizer enclosure formation 32. Also, the platformmounting template 50 can be positioned in the well 48 on the lowerplatform portion 26. The upper and lower platform portions 24 and 26 maythen be closed on each other via the hinge 28 to enclose the atomizer 22as shown in FIG. 2. The platform portions 22 and 24 may be lockedtogether, for example, by means of staples or welding, to restrictaccess to the atomizer 22.

[0031] As can be seen in FIG. 2, the enclosure shell 20, with theatomizer 22 enclosed therein, is mounted to extend out from a supportstructure such as a shelf 56 at a point of purchase location in a store.The shelf 56 may be used to contain merchandise for sale, for exampleatomizers or replacement liquid reservoirs for such atomizers. Also, theshelf 56 may be part of a temporary display structure in the store whichmay be used to display replacement liquid fragrance reservoirs and/orliquid fragrance atomizers. In order to mount the enclosure shell 20 toextend out from the edge of the shelf 56, there is provided an enclosuremounting member 58 which is affixed to the shelf, for example by meansof an adhesive. Alternatively, the mounting member 58 may be secured tothe shelf 56 by means of a screw. For this purpose the mounting memberis provided with a slot 58 a to accommodate the screw. The configurationof the mounting member 58 is seen more clearly in the enlarged view ofFIG. 3, and in the side view of FIG. 4. As seen in FIG. 4, the shelf 56has a front edge 56 a, which is slanted upwardly from bottom to top.Upper and lower shelf flanges 60 and 62 extend along the shelf frontedge 56 a. These flanges define recesses which can hold removable labelsfor indicating the price, etc. of merchandise located on the shelf. Themounting member 58 may be of any suitable material that will securelysupport the enclosure shell 20 and the atomizer 22. Preferably themounting member 58 is a stainless steel plate having a thickness ofabout 0.020 inches (0.5 millimeters).

[0032] The mounting member 58 has an extension 58 b which is bentdownwardly beyond the edge of the support shelf 56 and which isadhesively fixed to a surface of the mounting formation 54 on theenclosure shell 20. In this manner the atomizer 22 is mounted incantilever fashion to extend out from the shelf 56.

[0033] As can also be seen in FIG. 2, an atomizer enclosure ejectionopening 32 a is formed in the top of the atomizer enclosure formation32. This opening is located in alignment with an atomizer ejectionopening in the upper housing 38 of the atomizer 22. This permitsatomized liquid, which is ejected upwardly from the atomizer 22, to passthough the atomizer enclosure formation 32 and up into the atmosphere.

[0034] The section view of FIG. 5 shows the general construction of theatomizer 22 which is contained within the atomizer enclosure formation32. Preferably, the atomizer 22 is a piezoelectric type wherein anorifice plate is vibrated up and down at high frequency by means of apiezoelectric actuator element which is energized by alternatingvoltages applied across its upper and lower surfaces. This constructionis similar to that shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,450,419, thedisclosure of which is incorporated by reference.

[0035] As can be seen in FIG. 5, a generally horizontal componentsupport member 64 extends across the interior of the upper housing 38 ofthe atomizer. Battery retainer arms 66 extend downwardly from thesupport member 64 to hold a battery (not shown) for supplying electricalenergy to the atomizer. Printed circuit support elements 67 extendupwardly from the support member 64 and mount a printed circuit board 68which contains circuits for generating high frequency voltages atpredetermined times and for controlling the duration of these voltages.An adjustment switch arm 70 is mounted on the support member 64 and iscoupled to a switch (not shown) on the printed circuit board 68 foradjusting the predetermined times when the high frequency voltages aregenerated. The adjustment switch arm 70 extends out of the housing 38 sothat it can be controlled when the atomizer is not used for fragrancesampling. However, when the atomizer 22 is enclosed within the enclosureshell 20, it is contained within the adjustment switch protrusion 34 andis not accessible for adjustment.

[0036] An atomizer pump assembly 72 is supported by posts 74 whichextend upwardly from the support member 64. The pump and atomizerassembly comprises a flat annularly shaped piezoelectric actuator 76 anda thin orifice plate 78 which extends across the center opening of theactuator 76. The orifice plate is soldered or otherwise affixed to theactuator 76. When alternating electrical voltages are applied acrossopposite sides of the actuator 76, it expands and contracts accordinglyin radial directions. This expansion and contraction causes the centeropening of the actuator to become bigger and smaller, which in turncauses the center region of the orifice plate 78 to vibrate up and down.

[0037] The atomizer pump assembly 72 is contained within an atomizerpump assembly housing 80 which in turn is mounted on the posts 74. Thehousing 80 contains a coil spring 81 which presses down on the pumpassembly 72.

[0038] A liquid fragrance reservoir 82 is releasably supported under thesupport member 64 below the pump assembly 72. The reservoir 82 isprovided with a wick 84 which extends up from within the reservoir andout through an opening in the support member 64. The upper end of thewick 84 lightly touches the under side of the orifice plate 78 andsupplies liquid by capillary action from the reservoir 82 to the orificeplate. Wires (not shown) from the printed circuit board 68 are connectedto opposite sides of the piezoelectric actuator 76 to supply alternatingvoltages generated by the circuits on the printed circuit board to theactuator.

[0039] Vibration of the orifice plate 78 causes liquid fragrance, whichis supplied to the plate from the reservoir 82, to be pumped throughorifices in the plate and to be atomized and ejected upwardly from theplate to a height of about six to about eight inches (15-20centimeters)above the atomizer 22. The upwardly ejected atomized liquiddroplets pass up into the atmosphere through an atomizer housingejection opening 38 a and through an atomizer ejection opening 32 a,both of which are located in alignment with the orifice plate. Thedroplets then become entrained in air currents above the atomizer andthey evaporate before contacting any nearby supporting surfaces. The airinto which the droplets become evaporated provides an accuraterepresentation of the atmosphere in a room in which the atomizer 22would normally be used. Thus a person in the vicinity of the atomizer 22will be presented with an accurate representation of the fragrance beingsampled. The diameters of the orifices in the orifice plate 78 arepreferably between about 4 and about 5.5 microns.

[0040] The upwardly ejected atomized liquid fragrance comprises minutedroplets which have a mean diameter between about five and about sixmicrons; and 90% of the total volume of the droplets should comprisedroplets having diameters less than eleven microns. These minutedroplets become caught up in air currents passing over the enclosureshell 20 and are thereby quickly evaporated without becoming depositedin liquid form on any neighboring surfaces. Moreover the evaporatedliquid fragrance is thereby presented in a form that is accuratelyrepresentative of the fragrance as it would be dispensed during normaluse of the piezoelectric atomizer. Thus with this arrangement a propersampling of the liquid fragrance is achieved. In addition, theevaporated fragrance is readily dissipated so that it will not affectthe atmosphere in nearby locations and also will not interfere withadjacent or subsequent fragrance sampling.

[0041]FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 show an embodiment in which the above describedfragrance sampling system has an alternate mounting member 86 in placeof the mounting member 58 of the preceding embodiment. The mountingmember 86 comprises a flat base 88 from which extend first and secondspreadable legs 90 and 92. The base 88 is adhesively attached to themounting formation 54 on the lower platform portion 26. As shown in FIG.7, a locking screw 94 is threaded through a hole in the first spreadableleg 90 and extends through the space between the legs so that its endpresses against the second leg 92. By turning the screw 94, the legs 90and 92 will become spread apart. While the locking screw 94 is shownwith a flattened outer end 94 a for easy turning, the screw may insteadbe provided with a formation that requires a special tool to turn it.This provides resistance to unauthorized removal of the sampling device.

[0042] The spreadable legs 90 and 92 have outwardly directed projections90 a and 92 a at their outer ends. As can be seen in FIG. 8 theseprojections enter into recesses formed by the upper and lower shelfflanges 60 and 62 at the shelf front edge 56 a. When the legs are spreadapart by turning the screw 94, the projections 90 a and 92 a enter intoand become locked in the recesses so that the mounting member 86 becomessecured to the shelf 56. Thus, the enclosure shell 20 and the atomizer22 are held in a position extending outwardly from the shelf.

[0043] In the above embodiments, the atomizer 22 is free running andcontinuously emits puffs of fragrance for durations of about elevenmilliseconds, which durations are separated by intervals of about nineseconds during which no fragrance is emitted. This has been found toprovide a condition in the vicinity of the sampling device whichaccurately represents that provided by the atomizer when it is operatingin a room; and yet the normal air currents in a store where the samplingdevice is used will quickly dissipate the fragrance so that it is notsensed in nearby locations in the store.

[0044]FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 show a still further embodiment of theinvention wherein the sampling device is controlled by a person whowishes to sample a fragrance. In this embodiment there is provided asampling button 96 on the upper platform portion 24 in front of theatomizer enclosure portion 24. This sampling button 96 operates amembrane switch 98 (FIG. 10) located under the upper platform portion.As can be seen in FIG. 10, the switch 98 is connected by a pair ofswitch wires 100 to the printed circuit board 68. The printed circuitboard in this embodiment contains circuits which, when the switch 98 isclosed in response to operation of the sampling button 96, cause thedevice to be actuated for a predetermined length of time, e.g. 15-20milliseconds and to restrict the device from further actuation foranother predetermined length of time, e.g. nine seconds. This ensuresthat a proper amount of liquid will become atomized for proper sampling;and that additional liquid will not be atomized before the initialsample has become dissipated.

[0045]FIG. 11 shows the circuits used in the circuit board 68 of theembodiment of FIGS. 9-11. Except for the sampling switch 98 and thepiezoelectric actuator 76, all of the components shown in FIG. 11 aremounted on the printed circuit board 68. As shown in FIG. 11 thesecircuits and components are arranged to form a power supply 102, aone-shot generator 104, a drive frequency generator 106 and an actuatordrive circuit 108. The power supply 102 operates to convert a 1.5battery voltage input received via battery connections 110 a and 110 bto a 3.3 volt output on a system bus (indicated by arrowheads in thecircuit diagram). This 3.3 volt output is supplied to the one-shotgenerator 104, the drive frequency generator 106 and the actuator drivecircuit 108. The one-shot generator 104 operates to generate a lowvoltage output for a predetermined duration, e.g. 15 to 20 millisecondswhenever the sampling switch 98 in the one-shot generator 104 is closed.The drive frequency generator 106 operates to produce a high frequency(e.g. 140 kilohertz) square wave voltage output during the time that itreceives the low voltage output from the one-shot generator 104. Theactuator drive circuit 108 operates to increase the voltage of the highfrequency signal received from the drive frequency generator 106 and toapply the increased voltage signal to the piezoelectric actuator element76.

[0046] In the illustrative embodiment, the power supply 102 includes anintegrated circuit in the form of a multi-purpose oscillator chip 112,for example a commercially available Maxim 756 IC (integrated circuit)single cell power supply chip. A battery voltage storage capacitor 114is connected across the battery connections 10 a and 10 b. The positivevoltage output from the battery terminals is applied to an inputterminal a of the chip 112. A ground terminal b of the chip 112 isconnected directly to ground; and a reference terminal c is connectedthrough a capacitor 15 to ground. The 3.3 volt output from the powersupply 102 is applied directly to a first power supply input terminal dand the 3.3 volt output is also applied via a control resistor 116 to asecond power supply terminal e. A voltage booster coil 118 is connectedbetween the input terminal a and an output terminal f of the chip 112.The chip 112 is arranged with an internal oscillator which alternatelyconnects and disconnects the terminals f and b to and from each other.This causes the coil 118 to produce a high voltage at the terminal f.This high voltage is also applied via a rectifier diode 120 to one sideof a power supply capacitor 122, the other side of which is connected toground. The rectifier diode 120 prevents current from flowing from thepower supply capacitor 122 back through the coil 118. As more and morecurrent flows into the capacitor 122 from the coil 118, the voltage atthe one side of the capacitor increases. This voltage is applied to anoutput terminal 124 which is connected to a bus (not shown) from whichthe other components obtain their 3.3 volt operating voltage (shown asupwardly pointing arrows in FIG. 11). The voltage output of thecapacitor 122 is also applied to a cutoff terminal g of the chip 112;and, when that voltage exceeds 3.3 volts, the oscillator function of theintegrated circuit stops. Thereafter, when the voltage at the terminal gdrops below 3.3 volts, the oscillator operation is restarted so that thecoil 118 operates to re-build the voltage output of the output terminal124.

[0047] As indicated above, the one-shot generator 104 operates toproduce an output actuation signal in the form of a decreased outputvoltage when the sample ejection button 96 is pressed to close thesampling switch 98; and to maintain this actuation signal for apredetermined duration, e.g. 15-20 milliseconds. The one-shot generator104 may be formed from one half 126 a of a commercially availableintegrated circuit chip 126, such as one half of a Texas Instruments 556timer chip. The sampling switch 98 is arranged on a front ledge 24 a ofthe upper support platform 24 (FIG. 1) to be operated by the samplingbutton 96. The switch 98 as shown in FIG. 11, is connected on one sideto ground potential and, on the other side, through a trigger resistor128, to the 3.3 volt bus from the power supply circuit 102. A triggercapacitor 130 is connected on one side to a junction between the switch98 and the resistor 128. The other side of the trigger capacitor 130 isconnected through a reset resistor 132 to the 3.3 volt bus. The junctionbetween the reset resistor 132 and the trigger capacitor 128 isconnected to a trigger input terminal a of the chip 126. A power inputterminal b of the chip is connected to the 3.3 volt bus and a groundterminal c of the chip is connected to ground. The one-shot generator104 also includes a timing circuit which comprises a one shot timingresistor 134 and a timing capacitor 136 connected in series between the3.3 volt bus and ground. The junction between the resistor 134 and thecapacitor 136 is connected to a hold terminal d of the chip 126.

[0048] When the sampling switch 98 is closed, the voltage at thejunction between the trigger resistor 128 and the trigger capacitor 130decreases momentarily, until the trigger capacitor recharges through thereset resistor 128. This decrease in voltage, which is applied to thetrigger input terminal a of the chip 126, causes the voltage at the holdterminal d to drop and discharge the timing capacitor 136. This voltagedrop also appears at an output terminal e of the chip 126. The voltagedrop remains irrespective of a rising voltage at the trigger inputterminal a caused by recharging of the trigger capacitor 130 through thereset resistor 132. The voltage drop at the hold terminal d of the chip126 remains until the timing capacitor 136 recharges through the timingresistor 134, which is set for a duration of about 15 to 20milliseconds. When the timing capacitor 136 recharges, the voltageapplied to the hold terminal d becomes large enough to cause the chip toincrease the voltage output at its output terminal e. The chip 126 alsoincludes a first decoupling terminal f which is connected through afirst decoupling capacitor 138 to ground and a second decouplingterminal g which is connected to the 3.3 volt bus and to a seconddecoupling capacitor 140 to ground. The decoupling capacitors 138 and140 allow discharge of high frequencies which may be produced duringoperation of the device so that these frequencies do not appear in thepower supply 102.

[0049] The 15 to 20 millisecond time constant of the one shot generator104 is considered to be an appropriate duration for atomization to takeplace upon pushing the sample ejection button 96 so that the output ofthe atomizer 22 will provide an accurate representation of theatmosphere in a room which would be conditioned by the fragrance.

[0050] As mentioned above, the drive frequency generator 106 operates,while being supplied with a low voltage from the one-shot generator 104,to produce a high frequency (e.g. 145 kilohertz) square wave output. Thehigh frequency generator 106 may be formed from a second half 126 b ofthe integrated circuit chip 126 of the one-shot generator 104. Thevoltage from the one-shot generator 104 is applied via a first inputdiode 142 to a one-shot input terminal h of the chip 126. A frequencycontrol circuit, comprising first, second and third frequency controlresistors 144, 146 and 148 in series with a frequency control capacitor150, is connected between the 3.3 volt bus and ground. The junctionbetween the capacitor 150 and the resistor 148 is connected to theone-shot input terminal 126 h as well as to a feedback terminal i of thechip 126. In addition, a feedback terminal j of the chip 126 isconnected to the junction between the frequency control resistors 144and 146. This junction is also connected via a second input diode 152 tothe junction between the frequency control capacitor 150 and the thirdfrequency control resistor 148. The second frequency control resistor146 is constructed as a variable potentiometer to provide for frequencyadjustment. A decoupling capacitor 154 is connected between a decouplingterminal k of the chip 126 and ground to decouple any noise that isproduced during operation of the device from the power supply 102.Finally, 3.3 volt power is applied from the 3.3 volt bus to a voltageinput terminal l of the chip 126.

[0051] The above-described circuit operates to produce a square wavevoltage output at a high frequency output terminal m of the chip 126.The output frequency can be varied by adjusting the setting of thesecond frequency control resistor 146. The square wave output at theterminal m is not symmetrical but instead it has a duty cycle such thatthe voltage is high for one third of a cycle and is low for theremaining two thirds of the cycle.

[0052] The actuator drive circuit 108, as mentioned above, causes thepiezoelectric actuator 76 to expand and contract radially at the outputfrequency of the drive frequency generator 106. The actuator drivecircuit 108 comprises a transformer 156 the coils of which are connectedtogether at one end. The junction between the coils of the transformer156 is connected through the source and drain of a field effecttransistor 158 to ground. The high frequency output terminal 126 m ofthe chip 126 in the drive frequency generator 106 is connected to thegate terminal of the field effect transistor 158.

[0053] One end of the transformer 156 is connected to the junctionbetween a charge accumulation resistor 160 and a pair of chargeaccumulation capacitors 162 and 164 which are connected in parallel witheach other between the charge accumulation resistor 160 and ground. Theother end of the transformer 156 is connected via a smoothing coil 166to one side of the piezoelectric actuator 76. The other side of theactuator 76 is connected to ground.

[0054] The high frequency square wave voltage from the drive frequencygenerator 106 which is applied to the gate of the field effecttransistor 158 causes the transistor to become conductive andnon-conductive alternately at the frequency of the drive frequencygenerator. This in turn causes the voltage at the one end of thetransformer 156 to go high and low at the same frequency but at a muchhigher voltage, e.g. 180 volts peak to peak. This high frequencyalternating voltage is applied across the piezoelectric actuator 76,causing it to expand and contract at the same frequency.

[0055] The resistance value of the charge accumulation resistor 160 andthe capacitance values of the charge accumulation capacitors 162 and 164are chosen such that during the time that the field effect transistor isrendered alternately conductive and non-conductive the chargeaccumulation capacitors 162 and 164 gradually lose their charge. Thecharge accumulation resistance and capacitance values are set such thatafter a period of about 15 to 20 milliseconds the charge at the junctionbetween the transformer coils is too low to further drive thepiezoelectric actuator element 76; and the charge does not build itselfup again via the charge accumulation resistor 160 for about 9 seconds.These timing values may vary according to the particular fragrance beingdispensed and the characteristics of the atomizer 22.

[0056] The significance of the timing provided by the chargeaccumulation resistor 160 and the charge accumulation capacitors 162 and164 is that it limits the operation of the device such that whenever thesample ejection button 96 is pressed the device will produce acontinuous atomization of liquid for a period of 15 to 20 millisecondsirrespective of whether the button is pushed again within the next nineseconds. This allows a proper amount of fragrance to be ejected into thesurrounding atmosphere for obtaining an accurate indication of thefragrance. At the same time it avoids the ejection of an overabundanceof the fragrance, which could interfere with its proper presentation toa customer and which could too rapidly deplete the fragrance from thereservoir 82. Further, this timing arrangement allows the atmosphere inthe vicinity of the atomizer 22 to become cleared before a new sample ispresented.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0057] The above described device makes it possible to project a sampleof a fragrance into the atmosphere at a sampling station in a store in amanner such that the atmosphere becomes conditioned to accuratelysimulate the effect that would be produced by the ejection of thefragrance in successive puffs without affecting the atmosphere in nearbylocations in the store.

1. A method of sampling a fragrance comprising the steps of: atomizing aliquid fragrance from an atomizing device and ejecting atomized dropletsof the atomized liquid fragrance from said device upwardly into theatmosphere; and during said atomization, retaining said atomizing deviceon a platform while supporting said platform to extend outwardly from asupport structure.
 2. A method of sampling a liquid fragrance accordingto claim 1 wherein, said step of atomization comprises vibrating anatomization plate while supplying said plate with said liquid fragranceso that said plate atomizes said liquid fragrance and ejects it into theatmosphere in the form of small liquid droplets which become fullyevaporated without contacting said support structure.
 3. A method ofsampling a liquid fragrance according to claim 2 wherein, said dropletshave particle sizes in the range of about five to about six microns andwherein at least 90% of the volume of said droplets is made up ofdroplets having a particle size less than eleven microns.
 4. A methodaccording to claim 1 wherein, said sampling is carried out at a point ofpurchase location.
 5. A method according to claim 4 wherein said pointof purchase location is in a store.
 6. A method according to claim 1,wherein said plate is mounted on an arm which is affixed to and extendsout from said support structure.
 7. A method according to claim 6wherein, said support structure is a shelf in a store.
 8. A methodaccording to claim 1 wherein, said atomization plate is vibrated for aduration of about fifteen to about twenty milliseconds following theoperation of a sampling switch which is connected to initiate saidatomization.
 9. A method according to claim 8 wherein, said samplingswitch is connected to be rendered ineffective to initiate significantvibration of said atomization plate for a duration of at least nineseconds following prior initiation of said vibration.
 10. A methodaccording to claim 1 wherein, said atomization plate is vibratedrepeatedly for periods of about eleven milliseconds which periods areinterspersed with rest periods of about nine seconds.
 11. A methodaccording to claim 1 wherein, said atomization plate is prevented fromsubstantial vibration for a period of at least nine seconds following aprevious vibration thereof.
 12. A method according to claim 11, whereinsaid droplets are ejected upwardly it the atmosphere to a height ofabout six to about eight inches above said atomizing device.
 13. Afragrance sampling device comprising: an atomizer for atomizing a liquidfragrance and for ejecting atomized droplets of the atomized liquidfragrance upwardly into the atmosphere; a platform on which saidatomizer is securely retained; and a mounting element secured to andextending from said platform, said mounting platform being configured tobe attached to a support structure in a manner such that said platformextends outwardly from said support structure.
 14. A fragrance samplingdevice according to claim 13, wherein said atomizer comprises: avibratory atomization plate; a liquid reservoir for containing a liquidfragrance to be sampled; a liquid delivery system for delivering liquidfrom said reservoir to said atomization plate to be atomized thereby andejected into the atmosphere in the form of small liquid droplets; and apiezoelectric vibration device connected to vibrate said atomizationplate.
 15. A fragrance sampling device according to claim 14 wherein,said mounting element comprises a cantilever mounting arm.
 16. Afragrance sampling device according to claim 14 wherein, said mountingelement comprises a bracket which can be fastened to a shelf.
 17. Afragrance sampling device according to claim 16 wherein, said bracket isa metal strip that is adhesively attached to said platform and that canextend over and become affixed to a shelf.
 18. A fragrance samplingdevice according to claim 16 wherein, said bracket includes a base thatis adhesively attached to said platform and which has a pair of legsthat are spreadable by means of a screw to become forced betweenprojections along the edge of a shelf.
 19. A fragrance sampling deviceaccording to claim 14 wherein, said atomization plate comprises anorifice plate formed with a plurality of orifices in the range of aboutfour to about five and a half microns in diameter.
 20. A fragrancesampling device according to claim 14 wherein, said atomizer platecomprises an orifice plate formed with a plurality of orifices and whichis configured and operated to generate a plurality of liquid dropletshaving an average particle diameter in the range of about five to aboutsix microns and wherein 90% of the total volume of said droplets is madeup of droplets whose particle size is less than eleven microns.
 21. Afragrance sampling device according to claim 20 wherein, said atomizeris constructed to eject said droplets to a height of about six to abouteight inches above said atomizer.
 22. A fragrance sampling deviceaccording to claim 20 wherein, said atomizer includes a piezoelectricactuator element coupled to said orifice plate to vibrate same uponenergization of said actuator element, and wherein said atomizer furtherincludes an electric circuit which is configured to supply alternatinghigh frequencies across said actuator element.
 23. A fragrance samplingdevice according to claim 20, wherein said electric circuit isconfigured to energize said piezoelectric actuator element for periodsof about eleven milliseconds which are interspersed by periods ofnon-energization of at least nine seconds.
 24. A fragrance samplingdevice according to claim 20, wherein said electric circuit includes amanually operable sampling switch which is connected to initiateenergization of said actuator element.
 25. A fragrance sampling deviceaccording to claim 22 wherein, said electric circuit is configured toenergize said actuator element for a period of about fifteen to abouttwenty milliseconds following operation of said sampling switch.
 26. Afragrance sampling device according to claim 23 wherein, said electriccircuit is configured to prevent substantial subsequent energization ofsaid actuator element for a period of at least nine seconds following aprevious energization of said actuator element.
 27. A fragrance samplingdevice according to claim 22 wherein, said sampling switch is positionedon said platform at a location across from said mounting element.
 28. Afragrance sampling device according to claim 25 wherein, said samplingswitch is a membrane switch.
 29. A fragrance sampling device accordingto claim 13 wherein, said platform is in the form of a plastic enclosurewhich encloses said atomization device.
 30. A fragrance sampling deviceaccording to claim 29 wherein, said plastic enclosure has a clamshellconfiguration and which can be opened to accommodate said atomizationdevice and which can be closed to enclose said atomization device.
 31. Afragrance sampling device according to claim 30 wherein, said plasticenclosure is lockable in its closed condition.
 32. A fragrance samplingdevice according to claim 31 wherein, said plastic enclosure is lockedin closed condition enclosing said atomization device by means ofstaples which extend through flanges around the periphery of saidatomization device.
 33. A fragrance sampling device according to claim29 wherein, said plastic enclosure is transparent.
 34. A fragrancesampling device according to claim 19 wherein, said liquid deliverysystem comprises a wick extending from said reservoir to a locationunder said orifice plate.
 35. A fragrance sampling device according toclaim 34 wherein, said liquid reservoir is located under said orificeplate and wherein said wick extends from within said reservoir to theunderside of said orifice plate.